Abby Connolly
He and his wife had to reassure poor Cleo that they weren’t mad at her for not having the book. Instead, they were angry at her teacher for taking the book for no good reason.
The next day, he took Cleo to school early to talk with her teacher one-on-one.
Once he walked into the classroom, he demanded that her teacher give them back the book. When Cleo’s teacher tried to defend her actions, he told her to “save it” and that she had no right to take the book when Cleo did nothing wrong.
“The teacher said she was allowed to set boundaries for her class, but I pointed out recess was free time,” he recalled.
“It’s not like Cleo is reading during math. We went back and forth, and finally, I said I’d be reaching out to the principal.”
Once he had involved the principal, the issue was resolved quickly. The principal made it clear to everyone that as long as Cleo wasn’t disturbing or harming anyone, she was allowed to read during recess.
The principal also stated that she wouldn’t have any more books confiscated unless she started reading during an un-designated time, like during class lessons.
He and his wife were feeling quite satisfied. However, his cousin is a teacher at Cleo’s school, and she told him that teachers have been gossiping about his interaction with Cleo’s teacher.
“She says what I did is ‘hot gossip’ in the teacher’s lounge and that I have been marked as ‘one of those parents,'” he said.
“She says the teacher isn’t paid enough, and I should’ve just accepted the rule.”
Cleo only has two months left at the school before moving on to junior high, so thankfully, their family won’t have to put up with the school’s faculty anymore.
